D60 rethinks teacher relationships policy

By Gayle perez
The Pueblo Chieftain

Published: January 29, 2014;Last modified: January 29, 2014 07:30PM

The Pueblo City Schools (D60) board of education is considering changes to district policy that strictly outlines inappropriate staff and student relationships in light of a recent sexting incident involving a former South High School teacher.

Larisa Oringdulph

The changes to the staff conduct policy were presented at Tuesday’s school board meeting on first reading.

The board must review the changes at least one more time before it can be voted on and implemented.

The amendment to the current policy adds an entire section on maintaining staff and student boundaries.

The changes provide examples of inappropriate boundary invasions by staff members to include such behaviors as inappropriate physical contact with students, showing pornography to a student, singling out students for personal attention and friendship beyond a professional student and staff relationship and contacting students outside of school by phone (including text messages), social network or email without approval of a parent/guardian and appropriate administrator.

“I think this is a fairly good policy. This is something that really is needed,” said board member Rose Holloway, who requested in December a new policy be adopted that will allow for the school board to be notified of any instances of child abuse, including sexual abuse by a staff member.

“This will hopefully stop any further behaviors that we as a community think is inappropriate regardless if the police think so or not.”

In October, then-South teacher Larisa Oringdulph was placed on paid administrative leave following a police investigation into allegations that she was texting inappropriate photos of herself to male students and that she engaged in kissing another student.

The investigation was prompted after parents notified the school and later the police of concerns about the inappropriate relationship between Oringdulph and their son.

The police investigation found no criminal wrongdoing. Oringdulph resigned from the district Nov. 7.

Holloway expressed frustration in the school board not being notified of the incident until it was made public.